"Well, we could go out hopping for clothes and other things, or perhaps, if you're feeling up to it, we could go talk to the lady who owns this place. It would just be us three." Ash offered Laura a small smile of assurance.
Laura glanced up at him, biting into her lip at the second suggestion. She could be brave enough to talk to one person, couldn't she? She'd have to at some point, and now was as good as any other time. So she sucked up a deep breath, looking up to Mr. Ash.
"We… we could talk to… to the lady who owns the place..?" Laura suggested, not sounding too sure as she did so.
"We don't have to if you don't feel ready for it." Ash moved a bit closer of Laura, gently putting one hand on her shoulder.
"Only if you really want to. The lady would understand. She's really nice, just like me."
"I… I don't know if I'll ever want to." Laura mumbled, shifting her gaze down to her feet. She felt bad about not really wanting to, but the idea of going to try and talk to her didn't sound very appealing.
"But… but I feel bad. She won't be upset— or isn't upset— is she?"
"She isn't upset at all. She understands that it'll take time before your able to be around other people, and that's okay." Ash bent down a bit in his seat, looking at her with a gentle smile.
"We don't have to go see her."
"You're sure?" Laura asked softly, flicking her gaze up to his face. She had a hard time believing that. Normally the people she was around insisted— forced her even— to try and make new friends. That never ended well.
"I… I can go see her, if she wants."
"She won't unless you want to see her. None of us here want to force you to talk with people unless you feel comfortable with it. I'm sure, Ms. Laura." Ash gave a soft smile to Laura when she looked up at him.
Laura sighed softly, nodding a little.
"Al… alright. If you're sure, sir." She whispered, flicking her eyes back down to the floor. "Um… we- we can do whatever you want, then. I don't really care."
"Okay…" Ash took his hand off of Laura, giving a small smile.
"Do you want to go shopping for some more clothes in your size?"
"Clothes shopping?" Laura asked softly, lifting her head. "That… that's gonna cost money though. I don't want you to have to do that for my sake."
She kept up a soft look, not so sure about shopping. It was only another thing for him to do for her.
"Can I let you in on a secret?" Ash asked quietly. He leaned a bit closer, smiling a bit. "We have a lot of money. We have too much, actually. Buying you clothes will be good." He smiled brightly, chuckling a bit.
"Are… are you sure?" Laura asked softly, biting into her lip.
"I really, really don't want to cause problems, sir," She insisted. "I'll be fine, really."
"I'm really sure." Ash gave Laura another smile. "You aren't causing any problems."
With a light sigh, Laura nodded a little as she reached for his hand.
"If… if you're sure, then… um, maybe we should go? It won't be getting in your way will it? We can always wait, if you don't want to…" Softly she continued to ramble excuses, holding onto his hand loosely.
"It won't be getting in my way." Ash took her hand in turn, standing up now.
"If you don't want to go, we don't have to. But if you just don't want to be in my way, then we will go."
"I… I really just don't want to be in your way." Laura whispered, looking up at him as he stood.
"But if you're sure I won't be, then… then we can go. I just don't want to bug you."
Ash nodded.
"Then we'll go. You aren't bugging me at all." He smiled again, giving her hand a gentle reassuring squeeze.
Laura kept quiet, nodding in return. She quietly started to lead him over to her door, glancing up at him.
"Where would we go, sir?" She asked softly, pulling her door open.
"Well, there's Walmart, or a smaller locally owned clothing store, and a few other stores that are near here." Ash opened the door, stepping out with Laura. There were more people in the halls now. The diner was closed on Sundays, after all.
"Do you want me to carry you?" Ash offered.
Laura seemed to have stepped back at the sight of the other people, trying to listen to Mr. Ash as he spoke. But when he mentioned carrying her, that seemed to have caught her attention the best.
“Yes sir.” She replied simply, not seeming to hesitate. But as soon as the words had left her mouth, she flicked her gaze off his face.
“If… if you really don’t mind, sir…”
Ash bent down, picking Laura up and holding her to himself as he walked.
"I don't mind at all," he said, weaving through the sparse crowd in the halls and heading to the exit.
Laura held on to him, curling up as close as she could. By this point, she had her face buried in his shoulder, trying not to freak out while holding onto him.
“Right… I- um… thank you, sir.” She whispered, arms wrapping around his neck loosely.
Ash gently put this hand on Laura's back, keeping her close.
"You're welcome, Ms. Laura." He stepped outside, closing the door behind them. He held Laura in his arms still, moving to his car. It would be better than walking, so Laura wouldn't have to deal with any more crowds.
Laura watched where they had gone, noting a couple people glancing back at her and Mr. Ash. Her face grew pink, before she buried it back into his shoulder. It was silly, but she felt bad that he had to carry her.
"How are we getting there?" Laura asked softly.
"We're going to take my car so we don't have to walk through any crowds. Is that okay with you?" He patted her back gently when she buried her head back in his shoulder, letting out a soft hum.
"I'll have to grab a booster seat for you, but it'll only take a moment."